


Sober Intentions

by chaoticbiotic



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Androids, Drabble Collection, Fluff, M/M, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2020-12-16 09:34:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21034106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaoticbiotic/pseuds/chaoticbiotic
Summary: Somewhere for my array of Reed900 drabbles.





	1. Reflection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin reflects on his relationship with Nines.

It was always the smallest moments that caused him to reflect.

Receiving his steaming caffeine beverage every morning, for example, always made Gavin wonder about the extent of care Nines always showed him.

Given their history, it was a miracle the android wanted anything to do with him.

Regardless of being unable to work together for months, Nines never seemed to stop trying.

Nines had told him once, perhaps sarcastically, that Gavin possessed a charm you just couldn't find anywhere else.

It used to infuriate him how easily the android could read him like an open book. How he would knock down every wall- every facade Gavin put up until there was nothing left. Until his true, vulnerable self was laid bare.

Nines himself, on the other hand, was hard to piece together.

Maybe because Gavin was only human.

Or maybe because reading through Nines' stoic outer presence was like trying to crack the god damn Da Vinci code.

And yet, despite their odd dynamic, it worked out.

They worked out.

The two of them began as enemies, but as time went on, they learned to open up.

Gavin stopped being an android-hating prick, and Nines learned how to be... Well...

How to be more human.

He wasn't even sure when- or how it happened.

One day meeting the android's gaze hadn't made his insides boil with rage.

Nines suggesting a different approach to their case didn't end with Gavin throwing hands.

Slurring the name "tincan" upon every encounter suddenly started to become a fond sentiment instead of insulting.

Seeing his freshly brewed coffee sitting neatly on his desk filled him with a sense of warmth, instead of hate.

Things became tolerable, instead of unbearable.

And somewhere along the line, feelings and sexual tensions stumbled into their relationship, and all of a sudden tolerable had turned romantic.

The abrupt turn of events had taken them both by surprise, truly.

It'd taken them far too long to realize that the cause of their seemingly arbitrary happiness happened to be each other.

Now, as Gavin sips at the cup of coffee he'd plucked up from its usual spot on the edge of his desk, he smiles as he reflects on all this.

They'd come a long way.

Nines has already started working at the desk across from him, eyes scanning across his terminal.

He's no doubt sensed Gavin's good mood, judging by the upward quirk of his lips.

"Good morning, Gavin."

"Morning, Nines."

Reed takes another swig of his drink.

They worked together now.

As friends.

As lovers.

As partners.


	2. Reckless Abandon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin can be a heedless idiot- Nines does not approve.

Nines isn’t sure whether he wants to hit the detective for being so reckless, or be thankful that the man is still standing before him now in one piece.

“Bet that guy had no idea what he was in for." 

It was Gavin’s best attempt at lightening the mood with tissues stuffed against his nose to stall the consistent flow of blood from trickling down his face.

His words, despite their attempt to settle the tension, couldn’t be further from the truth. 

It was Gavin who had severely underestimated the tactics of their suspects.

And it was also Gavin who had rushed carelessly after one of them like an eager cadet.

Well, look where that had gotten them.

They were back home now, where Nines hadn’t hesitated to start patching up his wounds. It had been nothing to worry about until their perpetrator decided to dig out a knife.

Then the tables had quickly turned.

Gavin was fortunate enough to come out with nothing more than a bloody nose, a shallow gash across his arm, and split knuckles from taking some swings of his own. If Nines hadn’t been able to get his own suspect down and run to his rescue, the odds of his partner getting stabbed somewhere vital would not have been favorable.

94% left very little to the imagination.

And there had only been a 46% chance of Nines arriving in time for help regardless.

These numbers were more than enough to cause distress.

"Nines?" 

Gavin speaks up again as the android continues to clean the dry blood off of his face with a little more force than necessary.

"Hey, I kicked the shit out of him, yeah? No need to get your circuits crossed or anything.”

Wrong choice of words, and Nines can see the red reflecting off the tile walls of the bathroom from his LED, which up until now had been blinking a steady yellow.

It was perfectly reasonable to be angry right now.

“You acted thoughtlessly,” Nines grits out. “And because of that I could have lost you.”

Perhaps that wasn’t the response Gavin was expecting, because his partner spends a moment clearly trying to come up with something to respond with.

An apology would suffice, for being so careless.

“The suspect was getting away.” He mumbles back alternatively, and Nines pauses his movements.

They weren’t seriously going to have a debate over Gavin’s clear stupidity, were they?

“So the obvious choice was to give chase?” Nines responds, daring the man to argue further.

Gavin opens his mouth to justify himself once more, because of course he does, and Nines has to physically suppress the urge of shoving the bloodied cloth in his hand into the man’s mouth to shut him up

He opts for talking over him as a solution, instead.

“We were not even properly armed. What were you going to do if the man had pulled out a gun rather then a blade?”

Gavin fumbles for an answer at that.

“Die, I guess." 

Nines’ eyes are now officially glaring daggers. 

Insufferable, this man.

Though it’s clear who’s won the argument now, and Gavin quits trying uselessly to defend himself.

Nines shakes his head, drops the cloth in the trash bin, and reaches for the bandages. He’s unable to comprehend how Gavin is so calm about this. He nearly gets himself killed- scares the life out of Nines- and the most he can do is joke.

Was apologizing really this hard?

"Thanks for at least helping me avoid a knife to the gut.” Gavin grunts as Nines starts to wrap the bandage around the length of his arm.

“I fully intended to let matters proceed, but then I remembered how fortunate I am to have an intolerable asshole as my partner.” Nines banters back.

“Lucky me.”

Once Nines has successfully finished wrapping Gavin’s injuries, he’s prepared to start packing away the first-aid and leave Gavin to reflect on his actions alone.

That is, until a bandaged hand slips over his own and steals his attention.

He’s suddenly being pulled down for a brief kiss, and Nines recognizes the apology he’d been searching for in Gavin’s eyes.

“I’m sorry…”

Finally, Nines feels his anger dissipate.

“I know.” He responds, hand taking Gavin’s own. “I only wish you would be more mindful. Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, there are people who care about your well-being.”

Gavin shifts in place- he never fares well with brutal honesty, especially the sappy kind.

He does, however, smile.

It was not too long ago when Nines wouldn’t have thought twice about this whole ordeal. He would have made some snide remark about Gavin’s carelessness and moved on with his next task.

They’ve come a long way since then, and Nines has shifted his way of thinking drastically.

It was no longer just about the mission.

He cared about his partner- wanted to make sure the two of them would get out of these cases unharmed if at all possible. Gavin never made this easy with his insistent way of taking risks and stunts like the one he’d just pulled earlier. 

Though, Nines supposed, being a danger magnet was part of what made Gavin who he was.

It won’t stop him from lecturing, however, every time he pulls a stupid move like today.

“I’ll try and be more careful if it makes you feel any better, alright tincan?” Gavin says. 

That’s as good as he’s going to get, so Nines lets the matter settle.

“Thank you.”

Gavin slides off of the toilet seat, where he’d been sitting while Nines patched him up, and proceeds to drag the android out of the bathroom.

“Now, that whole spiel has me hungry. What’s for dinner?” 

Yes, Nines has made up his mind.

He is absolutely protecting this man for the rest of his life.


	3. Roses are Red, Thirium is Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin doesn't know how to accept gifts.

It's another slow day at the DPD for Gavin.

That's what he gets for showing up early for a change- 8AM on the dot.

It's certainly a first for him, but the detective was staffed with paperwork duty this morning, and he figured getting all that tedious shit out of the way as soon as possible was probably for the best. Strangely enough, being forced to stare at papers during the ass-crack of dawn wasn't the most unusual turn of events today had to offer.

His partner is late.

Usually Nines is scurrying about bright and early, doing shit like making Gavin his morning cup of coffee, or organizing the papers he'd left strung about the night before.

Instead, his chair remains empty.

Gavin thinks for a moment he might be able to focus without Nines' presence around to distract him. You'd think having an android partner would prove to be more efficient, and in most cases it was, but when you were uh… "involved" with said partner, things became a little more distracting.

By things, he's referring to the way he notices Nines' usually stoic stare scrunch slightly in concentration while he scans the terminal at his desk, or glances over a case file. The way he notices Nines watching him as he does the same. The way he knows in the back of the androids mind, work is the last thing they both want to be doing.

Yes, Gavin thought he could in fact work without all these unnecessary things drawing his attention away.

He thought incorrectly.

He wants to know where his partner has gone. Nines is practically a walking alarm clock for Gavin, so there's no way this was an accident. But then that begs the question of what the android was up to. Obviously it was something he deemed to be more important than work, and not many things topped that list.

And then, as Gavin's eyes have just read over the same sentence for about the thirteenth time, it comes to his attention that the office has become unusually quiet.

All except for one voice.

"Gavin."

Gavin glances up, recognizing the voice of Nines and expecting to see his frustratingly handsome face.

Instead, he's met with red.

Lots of red, shoved right into his face.

Gavin drops the pen in his hand in a startled surprise once he realizes what he's being shown.

Flowers?

What the fuck?

Nines is speaking up again before Gavin can give voice to his confusion.

"They caught my eye on the way to work."

Gavin clears his throat- feels more than sees all the heads turning in the building.

Nines is giving him this angelic smile as though it's a normal everyday expression he uses, and not something that would make Gavin's heart beat 90 miles an hour in his chest.

It suddenly feels very hot.

"You... got me flowers?"

Nines nods.

"I'm aware you aren't a fan of romantics, but I just couldn't help myself."

It's sweet.

It's really, really sweet, and a part of Gavin's cold heart warms at the gesture, regardless of the fact that it doesn't fit Nines at all, nor does it fit Gavin.

They haven't been a thing for very long, but romance was certainly not a playing factor in how they got together in the first place. Or at least, he's not entirely sure it was.

He's not sure how to react in the middle of the police department, with prying eyes watching his every move now.

So Gavin does what Gavin always does whenever he's flustered.

He fucks up.

"Fucking christ, Nines! You cant just waltz in here with a bouquet of flowers like I'm your sick mother or something!"

Nines' gentle smile falters.

"Roses are a symbol of romance, I figured-"

"Skip the flowers, buy me a drink next time."

A beat of silence- Gavin immediately finds himself wanting to retract his hasty words as Nine's LED blinks from blue, to red, to a steady yellow.

He's not sure whether to start planning his own funeral or not until a dismissive look passes across his partner's face.

"I see..."

He places the flowers on his own desk.

Gavin stares at them with a look of regret.

"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to check the evidence room for an analysis on the gang members we're currently after."

Work. They're talking about work now, as though this didn't just happen. Gavin's eyes dart back up to Nines, an apology already on his tongue, but his partner is making a hasty exit.

Gavin knows he really fucked this entire situation up, and there are about a million things he should be doing right now to fix his mistake instead of sitting on his ass wearing a look of both shock and defeat.

He's not sure he's even properly processed the last few minutes- they feel like a dream.

Hank's lovely voice unfortunately cuts in to remind him that, no. It's no dream. Gavin's still a raging moron.

"Way to go, Romeo."

Gavin peers at him with a look of distain.

Whatever.

It's fine.

Wouldn't be the first time Gavin's said some stupid shit to Nines to make him upset. It's just that normally he's met with a witty retort, not a full on retreat.

And normally, hours later, Nines has completely blown the situation off as another one of Gavin's stupid tirades.

That, however, is not the case when Nines returns.

He's curt, and Gavin fails to hold an actual conversation with him about six times before he finally decides there's no longer a point.

As for Gavin's paperwork?

Not a single page gets finished the rest of the morning.

****

The following morning, Gavin makes a beeline to his and Nines' conjoined desks, and shit-

He can already feel eyes gawking at him.

Gavin Reed and flowers? An unlikely match.

As if yesterday hadn't proven as much.

And yet, here he was, strolling right through the precinct like a teenage boy on prom night, bouquet of roses in hand.

He takes a steadying breath as he reaches the desks, reminding himself that he was doing this for Nines.

Nines, who's eyes flicker up at him questioningly.

He doesn't show much emotion facially, but his LED does a little light show on his temple.

"What are those?"

The android's asking dumb questions now?

Checkmate.

"What do you think they are? Bombs?"

Nines LED does the thing again, and his partner leans back in his seat, finally appearing to process the unusual situation.

"I was under the impression alcohol was a better substitute for romantics."

Gavin gives a tense chuckle, free hand coming up to rub the back of his neck.

"You must have heard that from quite the asshole."

"Yes, quite..."

This is taking way longer than he thought it would, and Gavin can feel his face burning from the attention they're starting to draw. Which is funny, given that by now everyone at the station doesn't usually bat an eye at their drama.

Flowers seem to draw the attention of everyone, it seemed.

Even Connor and Hank are eyeing him now like he's grown a second head.

"You gonna take em' or not? I don't got all day, tincan."

For a minute he almost wants to take back his grumbling, afraid he might have just pissed Nines off more, but his partner is finally reaching to pluck the flowers from his hand without another word.

It's an unspoken truce, and Gavin feels relief flood him at once.

It was nice to know that even now Nines could still forgive him for being a fuck up. He's never been good at affection- receiving and showing- but somehow that hasn't pushed the android away. If anything, Nines seemed infatuated by every little flaw he revealed.

Being an asshole was an easy one to catch, as Gavin can't seem to filter his stupidity half the time- as if yesterday wasn't a prime example.

Still, Nines is forgiving.

He understands that Gavin isn't perfect, and loved him anyway.

It was something he would never be capable of wrapping his head around.

Nervous that his partner is still angry with him, Gavin moves to sit tensely in his desk chair.

Nines is still looking at the flowers, a look of fondness on his features.

Fondness… It was an odd look for Nines, who normally met everything with the same icy stare.

Gavin's going to go ahead and take that as a good sign.

And you know what?

"They are kinda pretty..." Gavin says softly.

Nines smiles.

"Yes, they are."

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to hit me up with prompts and requests on Tumblr @chaotic-biotic!


End file.
